Home
by elesi
Summary: Kakashi didn't want to go home...


Kakashi didn't want to go home.

He'd been gone a couple of days and had just returned from an A-class mission. He has minimal physical injuries, which to him means having just a couple of bruises and shallow cuts or wounds, but he's tired as hell and his body ached like something worse than that. But still, he didn't want to go home.

He found himself in front of the memorial stone after reporting to the Hokage and parting ways with the other jounins he was assigned to work with for the mission just successfully completed. Sometimes he thinks his feet would drag him to the memorial stone on their own, especially whenever he's alone. Sometimes he thinks he's crazy for thinking that. Most of the time he thinks he's just plain crazy. Like right now, anyone in their proper mind who's as exhausted as him would want to go home. But not him.

And so he stood there in front of the memorial stone for some time. He wasn't talking to Obito tonight, not even in his head. He was trying to pull himself together, trying to hold on to as much of his sanity as he could, trying to think back on one thing that he seriously doubted to be real. It's funny how he can be so level-headed and dependable when it comes to his missions but leave him alone with his thoughts and you can depend on him to show how much of a nutcase he is.

It took Kakashi some time more to finally convince himself to go home. By that time though, he no longer had the energy to do so. He's crumbling down, falling down, crashing down. Down, down, down. But he felt a strong pair of arms catch him. And then he felt like he was being taken somewhere. And he thought someone asked him a question and he answered back. Somewhere along, he felt another pair of arms support him. They were gentler and he felt a nice tingle wherever he was touched. This time he was no longer falling, just floating down.

And he heard a sweet voice whisper from seemingly far away, "Sleep now, Kakashi. You're home."

***

Rin was waiting for Kakashi to come home.

She had been staying at his house since her return to Konoha because he had offered her to spend her first night there and maybe look for a place of her own the next day. Rin agreed and so she found herself sleeping in Kakashi's cozy bed while he slept... somewhere else. Well, she didn't know where in his own house Kakashi slept because she had been tired and and all she knows was when morning came, he was already gone with nothing but the keys to the house and a note for her hanging on the bedroom door. The note simply said, " Please wait for me before you go anywhere." He had been sent out on a mission and had been gone a couple of days. She didn't know when he will return or, sometimes in the case of shinobis, if he would be able to return. She kept his note with her and, like all the time she had been away, prayed that he be safe.

Late one night she heard a knock on the door and there she found Gai who had half-dragged a drained-out Kakashi all the way from the memorial stone.

"My Eternal Rival is tired," Gai declared.

Rin opened the door to let them in and the two stumbled into the house. She asked Gai if he can kindly help her get Kakashi up to his room and Gai, being the nice guy that he is, obliged. They helped Kakashi get into bed while Rin also checked him for injuries, finding a couple of cuts and bruises that she healed to make Kakashi feel more comfortable. Gai explained to her that he found his Eternal Rival standing by the memorial stone and since he has not seen Kakashi around for quite some time decided to maybe say hi or if possible challenge him to another match but just before he could start talking, the guy looked like he was collapsing.

Rin thanked Gai for helping Kakashi. Gai replied with a smile and a nod then said he'll be going on his way, it's already very late, his Eternal Rival needs lots of rest, he'll go get some for himself and that Rin should rest too. As Gai was about to walk out the door, he looked back to Rin and told her something Kakashi was mumbling about when they were walking back to his house.

"He said he dreamt that you had returned to the village and was staying at his house," Gai said matter-of-factly.

Rin chuckled nervously and looked over to Kakashi who was now lying on the bed, unconscious to anything that's happening. "He's that forgetful now?"

"No, not at all," Gai replied. "He's just messed up."

Rin looked back at Gai and he saw that there was worry in her eyes.

"Don't worry Rin, we all are, in our own ways," Gai said. He then made a nice guy pose and Rin wondered how anyone could have very shiny teeth. "Okay, I'll go along now." Rin smiled and nodded at Gai who left through the open window instead.

Once Gai left, Rin checked on Kakashi again. She noticed how he felt cold to the touch so she covered him up with the blanket. She sat next to him on the bed for a time, just looking at him, thinking about what he said to Gai.

Gai's right. Kakashi is messed up and had been like that since she met him. And Gai's also right when he said that they all are messed up in their own ways. She thought her way of being messed up is still being able to love this messed up guy after all this time .

She leaned over and planted a kiss on his forehead and whispered something to his ear. "Sleep now, Kakashi. You're home." 


End file.
